1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the production of fluids within a wellbore. More particularly, the present invention relates to the isolation of producing zones within a wellbore using a liner system of a liner with packers. More particularly, the present invention relates to sealing a mandrel of the liner within a wellbore using packers that prevent fluids from flowing between producing zones. Additionally, the present invention relates to packers that allow mandrels of the liner to slide longitudinally therein, so as to account for exposure to wellbore conditions.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
It is well known that land formations that produce oil and gas have different “zones” where different mixtures of oil and gas are produced, where other fluids—such as water—are produced, and where no fluids are produced at all. An oil and gas wellbore can pass through any number and combination of these zones so as to maximize the production of oil and gas from the land formation.
Open-hole completions are commonly used for producing oil and gas in a wellbore. Open-hole completions are particularly useful in slant-hole wells. In these wells, the wellbore may be deviated and run horizontally for thousands of feet through a producing zone. It is often desirable to provide annular isolators, or packers, along the length of the horizontal production tubing to allow selective production from, or isolation of, various portions of the producing zone.
In open-hole wells, standard casing is cemented only into upper portions of the well, and not through the producing zones. A liner then runs from the bottom of the cased portion of the well down through the various zones in the wellbore. In a typical production of oil and gas in a wellbore, production tubulars or casings are inserted in the wellbore. In open-hole completions, nothing supports the wellbore from collapse upon itself. Thus, the liner is used to fill the interior of the wellbore and to support the walls of the wellbore. Liners are typically run into uncased portions of wellbores. It is desirable for liners to minimize the annular space between the liner and the wellbore wall so as to provide mechanical support and restrict or prevent annular flow of fluids outside the production tubing of the liner. However, due to irregularities in the wellbore wall, liners do not prevent annular flow in the wellbore. For this reason, a liner system includes packers that are used to stop annular flow of fluids around the liner. Packers provide annular seals, or barriers, between the liner and the wellbore wall to isolate various zones within the wellbore and along the liner. A mandrel and a packer are components that can be installed in the liner, along with the regular tubular joint casings as part of a liner system.
A problem associated with oil and/or gas production within a wellbore is that when a wellbore passes through certain zones, such as a water zone, water can enter the annular space between the liner and the wellbore wall and mix with oil and/or gas. Thus, there is a need to isolate water zones (or other non-desirable zones) from oil and/or gas zones.
Another problem associated with oil and/or gas production within a wellbore is that various production zones can have different natural pressures. Zones of different pressures must be isolated from each other so as to prevent flow in the wrong direction and to allow production from the low pressure zones. Thus, where multiple zones are penetrated by the same wellbore, there is a need to isolate the zones to allow separate control of fluid flow in each zone for more efficient oil and/or gas production.
A problem associated with typical liner systems is the inability to move the liner relative to the packers once the packers have expanded within the wellbore. Thus, there is a need for a liner system with a liner and packers that allows for the longitudinal movement of the liner relative to the expanded packers within the wellbore.
Various patents have been issued relating to liner systems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,404,437, issued on Jul. 29, 2008 to Brezinski et al., discloses an apparatus and method for forming an annular isolator in a borehole after the installation of production tubing Annular seals are carried in or on production tubing as it is run into a borehole. In conjunction with expansion of the tubing, the seals are deployed to form annular isolators. An inflatable element carried on the tubing can be inflated with a fluid carried in the tubing and forced into the inflatable element during expansion of the tubing. Reactive chemicals can be carried in the tubing and injected into the annulus to react with each other and also with ambient fluids so as to increase in volume and harden into an annular seal. An elastomeric sleeve, ring, or band carried on the tubing may be expanded into contact with a borehole wall and may have its radial dimension increased in conjunction with tubing expansion to form an annular isolator.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,373,973, issued on May 20, 2008 to Smith et al., discloses a bridge plug having a segmented backup shoe, and a split-cone extrusion limiter. The extrusion limiter has a two-part conical retainer positioned between packer elements and the segmented backup shoe. The extrusion limiter blocks packer element extrusion though spaces between backup shoe segments. In one embodiment, two split-cone extrusion limiters are used together and positioned so that each split cone extrusion limiter covers gaps in the other extrusion limiter. The two split-cone extrusion limiters block packer element extrusion though gaps between backup shoe segments regardless of their orientation relative to the segmented backup shoe. In another embodiment, a solid retaining ring is positioned between a split retaining cone extrusion limiter and a packer element. The solid retaining ring resists extrusion of packer elements into spaces in the split-cone extrusion limiter or limiters.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,392,851, issued on Jul. 15, 2008 to Brennan, III et al., discloses an inflatable packer assembly that has a first expandable tubular element having a pair of ends, a first pair of annular end supports for securing the respective ends of the first tubular element about a mandrel disposed within the first tubular element, and a first annular bracing assembly deployable from one of the end supports for reinforcing the first tubular element upon pressurization and expansion thereof. An end of the first annular bracing assembly is pivotally connected to one of the end supports for reinforcing the first tubular element upon pressurization and expansion thereof. An opposite end of the first annular bracing assembly is expandable. One of the end supports is movable. The other end support is fixed with respect to the mandrel. The first annular bracing assembly has a slats arranged in an annular configuration and pivotally connected at one of to the movable end support. Each of the slats has a width that increases from its pivotally connected end to its other end.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,387,170, issued on Jun. 17, 2008 to Doane et al., discloses a packer device that includes a central packer mandrel and a radially-surrounding expansion mandrel. A slip mandrel carrying wickers surrounds the expansion mandrel and is secured in place upon the expansion mandrel by an annular retaining ring. The slip mandrel is secured to the retaining ring by screw connectors that pass through the slip mandrel and into retainer segments. The retaining ring is clamped between the slip mandrel and segments. The packer device carries a fluid seal that is made up of a thermoplastic material with elastomeric energizing elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,387,158, issued on Jun. 17, 2008 to Murray et al., discloses a packer that has a main sealing element that swells after a delay that is long enough to get the sealing element into a proper position. A sleeve is removed from the packer so as to allow well fluids to contact the main sealing element so as to start the swelling process. The main sealing element swells until the surrounding tubular or the surrounding wellbore is sealed. Sleeves that remain above and below the main sealing element preferably swell in a longitudinal direction so as to abut the main sealing element and increase the contact pressure of the main sealing element against the surrounding tubular or wellbore. The longitudinally-swelling members can be covered to initiate their growth after the main sealing element has started or completed a swelling action. The longitudinally-swelling members can be constrained against radial growth to direct swelling action in a longitudinal direction. Extrusion barriers above and below the main sealing element can optionally be used.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,314,092, issued on Jan. 1, 2008 to Telfer, discloses a packer tool for mounting on a work string that has a body with packer elements thereon, and a sleeve positioned around the packer elements so as to compress the packer elements. The packer tool is set by movement of the tool body relative to the sleeve. The sleeve includes a retaining member. The retaining member is removable between a first and a second position. In the first position, the retaining member prevents movement of the sleeve relative to the tool body so as to prevent setting of the packer tool. In the second position, the retaining member releases the tool body so as to arrest a movement of the sleeve. In the second position, the retaining member also facilitates compression of the packer elements so that the tool can be set.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,143,832, issued on Dec. 5, 2006 to Fyer, discloses an annular packer arranged on the outside of the production tubing. The packer has a core that has an elastic polymer that swells by the addition of hydrocarbons. The core can be surrounded by an external mantel of rubber. The external mantel of rubber is permeable to hydrocarbons and may be equipped with a reinforcement. The core swells by absorption of hydrocarbons and the packer expands accordingly. The expansion of the packer seals the annular space between the production tubing and the well wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,505, issued on Feb. 1, 2005 to Richard et al., discloses a method of sealing casing or liners in a wellbore. Strands of casing or liners receive a jacket bonded to the outer surface. Preferably, the jacket is a rubber compound bonded to the outer wall. The rubber compound swells at a predetermined rate in response to contact with fluids in the well. The casing or liner can be expanded with a swage preferably prior to the onset of the swelling of the jacket. Packers and sealing hangers can be added at the extremes of the casing or liner string to further secure against channeling between adjacent formations.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,228,917, issued on Jun. 12, 2007 to Thomson, discloses an apparatus and method for creating a seal in a bore hole annulus. A conduit within a wellbore has an outer surface covered with an elastomeric material that can expand and/or swell when the material comes into contact with an actuating agent. The conduit is an expandable conduit. The conduit is located inside a second conduit and radially expanded therein. The actuating agent can be naturally occurring in the bore hole or can be injected or pumped into the bore hole so as to expand or to swell the elastomeric material to create the seal.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,121,352, issued on Oct. 17, 2006 to Cook et al., discloses an apparatus that has a zone-isolation assembly. The assembly has a solid tubular member. The solid tubular member has external seals. A perforated tubular member is coupled to the solid tubular member. A shoe is coupled to the zone-isolation assembly. The perforated tubular members include an elastic sealing member that is coupled to the perforated tubular member. The elastic sealing member covers the perforations of the perforated tubular member.
It is an object of the present invention to control the flow of fluids in a producing wellbore.
It is another object of the present invention to prevent the flow of water into a producing liner.
It is another object of the present invention to produce oil and gas from zones having different pressures.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a liner system, having a mandrel-packer assembly that can be opened and closed within the wellbore so as to allow or prevent a flow of fluid into the producing liner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a liner system, having a mandrel-packer assembly, wherein the mandrel longitudinally extends within the interior of packers after the packers have been locked in position by expansion within the wellbore.
It is another object of the present invention to maximize oil and gas production for any number and combination of zones within a wellbore.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a liner system, having a mandrel-packer assembly, wherein the mandrel that can be installed with packers affixed thereto and that can adjust longitudinally through the packers, after the packers are expanded in place against the wellbore.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a liner system that can be used in vertically and horizontally-extending wells.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a liner system for injection wells and producing wells.
It is another object of the present invention to isolate the various zones of a wellbore that have no casing or liner.
It is another object of the present invention to support the walls of a wellbore with expandable packers.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a liner system that is easily placed within a wellbore.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a liner system that withstands wellbore conditions associated with oil and gas production, including but not limited to environmental conditions related to geothermal temperatures and pressure.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a liner system where the packer is releasably affixed to the outer surface of the mandrel.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.